I expected a week sailing Sicily’s Aeolian Islands with Medsailors to include lots of beautiful islands, gorgeous swim spots and relaxation galore. I didn’t expect the volcanic eruptions, amazing vineyard, colourful villages and mind-blowing panoramas – but they definitely made my trip even more special!
Gorgeous from the start – the “home” marina in Portorosa
I don’t know about you, but before I booked my sailing trip with Medsailors, I didn’t know much about Sicily, other than the mafia and Mount Etna. Pardon my prior ignorance, but in a way I’m so glad of it – it made my week discovering Sicily’s Aeolian Islands even more magical.
7 friends and I booked a catamaran with Medsailors – a Kiwi company that offers amazing sailing trips around the Mediterranean and Carribean (not sponsored, I just love them!). After a week of pure fun in Greece a few years back, this trip could not come soon enough! The beauty of the Medsailors trips is they take care of the sailing, with your skipper always in charge of the boat, allowing you to have fun, relax, and make the most of whatever incredible area of the sea you’re currently in.
Swim stop in Fiji Vulcano
Our first stop of the trip was Vulcano, where the palm trees had me momentarily convinced I might be sailing the Pacific rather than Mediterranean. However, the steep climb up the mountain to survey the island and its smoking crater soon told me otherwise!
Jamie, Emma and I taking in the awesome views
Vulcano by name, volcanic by nature!
After all that exertion, it had to be PASTA time! Our crew told us there was only one place to go – Ristorante Maurizio. Honestly, any place where a diminutive yet extraordinarily passionate elderly Italian gentleman spends ten minutes explaining his entire menu to me is probably going to be a great experience, but Maurizio’s pasta truly was outstanding.
Old mines in Lipari
Next up, the much larger island of Salina, where an increase in land-mass meant an even greater increase in the finer things in life – namely, wine.
In the 1970s the artist Carlo Hauner fell in love with this beautiful spot and the local practice of drying grapes in the Italian sunshine after picking. He set up the Hauner vineyard and his liquid legacy is carried on by his son today. We tried a range of the wines and I swear, you can taste the molten sunshine in the glass – it was delicious!
However, we didn’t want to indulge too much – the next day promised to be explosive!
Sailing for Stromboli!
Stromboli is one of Italy’s three active volcanoes and thanks to its regular small eruptions is also known as the Lighthouse of the Mediterranean. It may sound crazy to you (it did to me at first) but as one of our optional excursions on the trip, we could even climb right to the top for the best views!
Time to head UP
I might note that this climb is no joke. Three hours of steep climbing up, over scree and along cliff edges, to stand at the top in the freezing wind, peering into the clouds for a glimpse of Nature’s fire, to then slide and scramble back down the scree in the pitch-dark… when I write that all down now, I wonder that we ever embarked on this at all!
Safety helmets at the ready for when we got higher
And then we reached the top… waited… waited some more… and BOOM!
It might not look like much, especially given the 900m climb but trust me – it was magical. We stayed at the top, watching bright red eruptions regularly power rock through the air, until night fell and it was time to return to the boat (via pizza, of course).
Me and Fabio – with our lovely boat Lady Jane in the background
After an excursion that amazing, you might wonder whether we were content to return to the simpler life for the rest of the week – swimming, snorkelling, outrageously competitive card games and reading in the sunshine. Well, I think you can probably guess that we coped somehow!
Sicilian breakfasts be like…
Beautiful Lipari
My wonderful friends and our fabulous crew
Now that I’ve had a taste of the variety and beauty that Sicily has to offer just in its outer islands, I can’t wait to one day return to explore the rest of this incredible corner of Italy.
Have you ever visited Sicily? Did you sail or explore the main island?
Linking up for #WanderfulWednesday with Marcella, Lauren, Van and Isabel – check out their travel link-up and their fantastic blogs using the links!